


The Legend of Zelda: Depths of the Sea

by CiCiSama



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-08 11:37:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17385764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiCiSama/pseuds/CiCiSama
Summary: Centuries after the Great Floods of Old Hyrule, we join our hero, Link, in deepsea exploration. We soon learn that there's more under the waters than anyone could've imagined. A series of oddities lead him on a grand adventure. How will the legend, which is doomed to repeat time and time again, unfold now that most of the land is buried beneath the waves?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my literature, [please consider supporting me on Patreon for only $1 a month!](https://www.patreon.com/cicisama) Get access to my exclusive Discord server where you have access to WIPs and can socialize and network.

“Twenty-thousand Leagues under the sea and he thinks it’s a vacation.”

Link heard his crewmate’s sass before he felt the slap of a wet cloth against his face, thrusting him from sleep. He pulled the damp cloth off and wiped his eyes as he listened to her chastise him again.

“You’re so lazy — don’t think you’re getting out of recon duty. I went last time.”

When he looked at the Gerudo, she was akimbo and held fast pursed lips and furrowed brow. Her fiery red hair was pulled back into a very professional bun, accentuating her sharp cheekbones.

“At least when Link goes, he doesn’t complain about it through the intercom the whole time,” said their other crewmate, a Hylian with a deep voice. “Unlike a certain assistant mechanic.”  
Her sharp, amber eyes glared at him. “All right, all right, I get it, Ridik, you’re better than me and more experienced and blah, blah, blah.”  
Ridik chuckled. “Now, Hinan, you know that’s not what I meant.”

Ridik and Hinan had been cleaning the main control room before Link was scheduled to go out, which also happened to be where he was trying to nap while everyone else was in the dining quarters for lunch. He was between a row of desks where he sat up against the vent, staring down the row at Hinan who now had her arms crossed. Whenever Hinan caught him sleeping, she’d throw a fit (and usually an object) over it.

“The captain is strict with us,” she said as she aggressively wiped the powered-down control panel beside her. “I don’t see why he lets Link do whatever he wants — I mean, what are we paying the guy for?”  
“Firstly, _you’re_ not paying Link anything,” said Ridik, scratching his dark brown sideburn as he mopped with the other hand. “And secondly, Captain Linebeck’s guidance has never steered us wrong before. You’d do well to respect and trust him.”

Link stood and stretched, thinking about Linebeck. If he was honest, he did get liberties that the rest of the crew did not, but that was his favorite part about gigs with his old cohort. At least that’s what Linebeck always called them, _cohorts_. Link preferred _accomplices_. It was a morally grey term, much like his line of work had always been. People made up their own minds about Link and he’d have it no other way. Even if it meant getting a shoe thrown at him by Hinan sometimes.

He walked over to the south-eastern door which led down a metallic hall. He passed vents and tubes running oxygen throughout the vessel. There was a door he passed on his right which led down to the Captain and Vice Captain quarters. At the very end was a ladder which led to the suiting area so he could dress in his reconnaissance gear. Once the door was opened, a small chime went off and the intercom inside crackled on.

“You’re late,” came Linebeck’s somewhat static voice. With all the tech in New Hyrule, they somehow couldn’t get decent communication systems in smaller submarines. Linebeck continued, “no matter. Just get out there and see what you can find. Oh, and don’t forget to turn on your headset this time…”

Forget. Right. That’s what happened last time, Link… _forgot_ , conveniently, to turn on his headset. But the earful he got from Linebeck afterward didn’t exactly make the peace worth it. He squeezed into his one-piece recon suit and buttoned up the dirty cream-colored front from the inside. He slipped on his thick brown gloves and flippers, tying their lacing straps. Over top of all that was a translucent piece of cloth with a loose collar around his shoulders, and that squeezed his chest and legs tightly. It was known as a Clear Coat and was oddly comfortable while allowing full range of motion. He put on his headset, hearing the muffled crackling of the intercom in the room.

“Turn it on,” Linebeck’s autocratic voice said before the intercom shut off again.  
Link pressed the button on the side that turned it on.  
“Thank you,” said Linebeck in his ears.

Link picked up the silver, bucket-like helmet and placed it over his head, letting its open maw cascade over his shoulders. The loose cloth suctioned onto the helmet’s shoulders, holding it tight to his body. He donned the air supply pack with straps around his shoulders and reached behind to grab the tubes leading from it. One was on the bottom near his back (to which the small hole in the Clear Coat quickly adhered) where carbon dioxide, methane, other gases released from the body could be taken into the bottom and recycled into oxygen. Then it was pushed through the top and out of the output tube, which he attached right behind his head. They clicked into place and turned on immediately.

“All right, Link, that should give you two and a half hours of oxygen. Would be more if you recharged it at night. Make for better undersea naps, eh? If the nitrogen narcosis didn’t do you in first.”

Link wasn’t as dumb as Linebeck liked to think. He knew he could get away with a three-hour nap before the narcosis became fatal. Link grabbed the huge vaulted door that led to the decompression chamber and pulled on the lock, spinning it halfway and pulling the unlocked door open. He closed and locked it behind him, then entered the decompression code on the keypad. The flash of green told him that the chamber was active. It didn’t feel like much; a little tingling of his skin, a light straining of his nostrils, and some dryness of the eyes. Most of the lights went out and water flooded the chamber, a slight chill felt through even his insulated suit. It was the worst part about going out. Hearing the loud water slap against the walls and fellow waves in the dark, small room made Link squirm and close his eyes every time. Once his helmet was covered and the water was a dull thudding above him, he could open his eyes once more and wait for the chamber’s finishing diagnostics. Soon, the light flashed yellow, indicating a successful sequence. The remaining two lights lead to the final, vaulted door, tighter than the last and needing another code.

Once it opened, he saw the illuminated floor below them about a League below, covered in dense corals like gnarled, blackened vines. He was disappointed when he saw the hole he’d made the other day, lit up by the under-light of the submarine. There hadn’t been anything interesting below them, just a sandy, rocky bottom. It was as though the coral was dead, brittle and slowly becoming dust. Link hit one of the buttons on the side of his helmet and turned on the lamp above his forehead, swimming with his webbed gloves and long flipper boots.

“Tracking systems on,” said Linebeck.

In the corner of his eye, he saw the directions back to the submarine hovering on his helmet’s viewport and estimated time of arrival from his location. The other side told him how much oxygen he had in his tank: 2 hours 20 minutes. It would go down faster the harder he breathed, so pacing himself was key to a long tank life. Recycling could only do so much, but he remembered how much Linebeck would complain just five years ago that an hour of oxygen was never enough. Even nowadays at four hours on full-charge, Linebeck still didn’t think it was enough.

Link shook his head at the thought, smiling. He was eager to check out the woods that Hinan had seen yesterday. She didn’t have enough oxygen to check it out, but if Link went there immediately, he could actually head inside.

“Ah, the forest?” Linebeck questioned knowingly. “You did seem interested last night when Hinan was telling us about it over dinner. Judging by what she described, it’s a good twenty-minute swim, nothing you can’t handle.”

And given what Hinan had said, Link would know it when he saw it. It would be a large mound of actual trees, impenetrable from all angles except one. He swam in the direction Hinan outlined, passing by a school of glowing fish. The only reason he could see them was from their own light, as his was quickly swallowed up by the inky blackness of the deep ocean. The gentle rumble in his ears let him know that the ocean around him was calm, for now. The crew needed to be wary of underwater volcanic activity, especially so close to Death Mountain. But Link was heading the opposite direction where the insulation of his Clear Coat needed to thicken to keep him warm. Still, life thrived in the chilly water, even as deep as they were. Many of the creatures were bio-luminescent, but some of them lived purely through smell and their dark figures would flit in front of Link’s headlamp.

Twenty minutes later, he definitely knew he’d reached the forest. It was huge, surrounded by centuries of layers of the rocky ocean floor so just the tops of the forest was revealed. A great expanse of treetops almost completely level. When he was close enough to the green leaves, he touched them and tried to push his hands through, but it didn’t give way. It was hard as stone. How was it so green and lush when no sunlight permeated the dark ocean floor? He couldn’t see anything on the inside, but as he looked out over the landscape, he swore he saw a pit of darkness not far.

Link kicked hard, swimming fast toward the opening. The lamp on his head permeated the black pit, revealing tree branches with healthy leaves. The light was swallowed up before it could reach very far.

“Been long enough, I’m guessing you made it?” Linebeck asked. “Keep an eye on your oxygen tank. We’ll never find your body if you die in that forest.”

If there was one good thing about Linebeck, it was his uncanny ability to lighten the mood. Link internally thanked him for that as he breached the threshold and swam through the branches of the tree. It was thick. The branches were larger than his body. He seemed close to the trunk, which looked old but still strong; weather-worn yet proud. How old was this tree? This forest? So vibrant on the outside, so wizened on the inside. It was colder under the canopy. The farther down he went, the more his ear-tips chilled and his body shuddered before the insulation adjusted.

He watched his oxygen meter go down from 2 hours to 1 hour 55 minutes before he could see through the branches. It was still dark under them, his light drowning in the infinite black that seemed to envelop the entire forest. However, as he swam down, hoping to see a bottom, he finally came across luscious grasses and brush. 1 hour and 52 minutes to go. Link approached the forest floor and touched the brush. They gave way, letting him reach inside. He pushed the thicket to peer into it, seeing the natural-looking branches and mossy bottoms one may find topside in Old Hyrule. His hand caressed the grass beside him, loosening detritus and sending the matter upward in a cloud, only to peter off and float down.

“I hope you’re writing down what you see…” Linebeck said in the headset, making Link aware of just how quiet it had been.

Link opened the small container on the side of his helmet (the one without the buttons) and pulled out the special quill and notebook. He recorded what he’d seen and was seeing, the tip of the quill scratching the paper to reveal his messy penmanship. He went over the list in his head as he wrote: thick trees, 5 minutes to get through branches and into forest, hard rock-like treetops but soft brush and grass under, similar to topside, what else, what else…? Fresh vines hanging from the trees, vast open space between meters wide tree trunks, a few flowers (specimens taken).

As he wrote that down, he plucked a few of the different kinds of flowers. Most of them were a golden color that reminded him of a sunrise, looking similar to an ear of corn, only far smaller and fluffy. One was a blue and white lily type of flower. He stored the picked flowers between the pages of his notebook. Then he continued on, heading deeper into the forest. There wasn’t much to make note of that he could see, as it looked just like any other forest above, only huge. And that was the strangest part. This huge, healthy forest, hidden so deep under the ocean, not getting a lick of sunlight but thriving all the same. On this thought, he plucked some of the leaves and grass as he passed by to store them in his notebook as well.

Soon, it was as though a path had been laid out in front of him. Link followed it on instinct, even as the vast open spaces shrunk around him and the tree trunks themselves appeared to lead him. Curiosity drove every movement of his muscles as he swam, using mostly his legs and flippers. 1 hour and 25 minutes to go. He only had about half an hour of exploration left before he would need to turn back. As he continued his journey, he realized that he’d not seen a single animal. He quickly scribbled this down, not looking at the paper and probably writing over something he’d already written. But his eyes couldn’t be torn away by such trivial things. He needed to look forward, wary not to miss a single detail.

His persistence may have paid off. He saw an opening as he rounded the corner, leading him somewhere new, somewhere no one had been in hundreds or possibly thousands of years. His heart raced with excitement, sending his oxygen meter down a smidgen faster, but the anticipation was slowly killing him. He reached out and touched the surrounding trunks at the cusp of the end and pulled himself through the narrow gap just large enough for his frame and the suit he wore. His light illuminated the cavernous room.

It looked like a natural chapel of sorts. Large, imposing, ceiling filled with hanging vines and moss. It was surrounded by trees with their classic emerald leaves, and the ground was lined with rows of brush, looking far too neat to be formed naturally. They were trimmed like seats, though a layer of moss and algae covered them as if they’d been untouched for years. The pews faced the altar, which was underwhelming, to say the least. It looked as though it had once been grand, but now stone littered the ground, spilling out into the aisles, and leaving everything to be desired as a result. What was the stone? What was this chapel? How could it look so man-made, well-kept and yet covered in at least a decade’s worth of unwash?

Link swam closer to the stone pile to inspect it. Most of the rocks were quite heavy, given their sizes; dense and thick in small forms. He struggled to move some of it out of the way, especially the larger pieces. When he moved one, another fell and nearly swiped his back, making him gasp and jump. He’d need to be careful of that. If any of these rocks took out his oxygen tank, the opening would let in seawater and drown him quickly. That took off 3 minutes of his oxygen supply in an instant. 1 hour left. He should start heading back.

Link looked disappointedly one last time at the stones when an odd shape caught his eye. It looked like any other stone, but it was round. Perfectly so, aside from a minor crack in the side. He pulled on it, finding it stuck between a few other stones. With a heel on one of the perpetrators, he pulled again, arms wiggling it out of its confines. His grunting and straining intrigued Linebeck.

“I have no idea what you’re doing but it sounds rough. Hopefully you’ll bring up something good this time… I swear if it’s another useless old-world trinket.”

Link smirked. Linebeck would prefer treasure, but Link didn’t care about treasure and preferred to see the look of frustration, anger, and disappointment on his accomplice’s face. It was far more satisfying to Link than any treasure. But this rock wasn’t one of those useless trinkets Link sometimes picked up. This felt different to him. He didn’t know how or why, but he wanted to understand. The round rock came loose, flinging up and nearly hitting him upside the helmet, but he kept a good hold on it. Panting (and losing some oxygen in the process), he put the smooth, round rock under his arm and swam back to the submarine.

_~Hey buddy, if you like this story, please consider pressing the Kudos button! And if you love this story, let me know in the comments! I really appreciate the support, thank you!~_


	2. (2)

Link showed the strange orb to his crewmates during dinner that evening; everyone wanted their hands on it. It was dull, chipped as though it was made of glass, and so dirty that it looked like grime had somehow gotten inside. It was difficult to see, even under the bright fluorescent lights in the dining quarter, but there was a symbol on it. Three crescent moons spooning one another until it came to rest on a smaller, full moon — at least, that’s what it may have been. When it was pointed out, the crew speculated.

“Maybe it's got something to do with the moon cycles?” Came the most obvious observation from Neeko.  
“If you turn it on its side, it almost looks like a beacon,” said Alfonse.

Everyone was chatting excitedly about the possibilities except for the stoic Linebeck and, oddly, Hinan. The overly opinionated Gerudo looked deep in thought, staring at the odd orb. Perhaps, like Link, she could also feel the immense depth behind the object, something neither of them could place; maybe a slight feeling of deja vu? If she was experiencing anything like Link, she would be feeling as though she should know this symbol from… Somewhere. But where did Link know it? School? No way, he couldn’t remember a thing from school.

Linebeck nibbled on his food as he read over Link’s notes. He’d occasionally squint hard or furrow his brow into a hundred creases, but he knew how to decipher Link’s cuckoo scratch. Link ate most of his food within a few minutes, sneaking a biscuit off Neeko’s plate when the crewmate wasn’t looking. Ridik sat on Link’s other side and had a particularly yummy pile of mashed potatoes left. Link attempted to sneak some onto his spoon but his hand was batted away by a butter knife.

“Don’t even think about it, merc,” said Hinan, wielding the utensil.  
Ridik had moved to hold the round stone above his head with his gloved hands, giving Hinan space in front of him to swat at Link. “You know,” he said, “my father is an archaeologist — well, used to be when he was younger — maybe he knows something about this symbol.”  
Hinan sat back in her seat, rolling her eyes. “You ain’t seen your dad in years, you don’t even know where he lives.”  
“That’s true,” Ridik said as he nodded, handing the orb back to Link. “But I’m sure our merc friend here will be able to find him. Once he gets off this tub, that is…”

Most of the crew glanced to Linebeck who was still eating casually. He put his utensil and Link’s notebook down, wiped his lips with his napkin, then turned his dark teal eyes onto the crew.

He said, “your week is almost up, isn’t it, Hero?”  
Link said nothing (shockingly).  
“I was going to hire you on again for next week, but I feel like a… scouting mission might be more prudent. Do you agree?”  
Link nodded.  
“Excellent,” Linebeck grinned. “You’d better figure out where your father could be, Ridik. Link will need any information you have.”  
Ridik said, “of course, Captain.”

After dinner, Ridik took Link back to the sleeping quarters and dug around inside of his personal nightstand. Link sat on Ridik’s bed and waited, looking at the symbol on the round stone. Some part of him wanted to believe that if he stared for long enough, his confusion would dissipate into understanding. Then a book was shoved into his face.

“Here,” said Ridik. “This is the only thing I have of my dad. Haven’t talked to him since I left home decades ago. Wish I could be of more help, bud, but maybe this’ll work.”

Link put the stone off to the side and grabbed the book. It had a thick, brownish binding and many pages, making it quite heavy. On the cover in engraved, golden letters were the words “Old Hyrule: Our History”. Under that was the author’s name and epithets: _Vakti, Professor of Historical Archeology, Ethnoarchaeology, and Archaeometry_. Superimposed behind all of the words was a golden triangle with another smaller triangle cut out of the middle. Strange… That, too, seemed familiar, though the book itself sure didn’t.

He opened it up to the second page where the mentions and copyright were usually placed. Vakti’s name and epithet were repeated, dated about slightly over a decade back. Below that was the publishing site, Frostpour Printing Press. That was around Old Hebra, even farther north than Dragon Roost Island. He’d never been up there before due to the cold and Link’s lack of proper preparations. Finally, at the very bottom was another strange symbol. So many of them were popping up suddenly, though this one didn’t instill such curiosity or familiarity within him. It looked similar to a magnifying glass with an eye inside and three triangles above it, pointing upward. The caption was _“In loving memory of my wife”_.

“Dunno how much that’s gonna help but I figure you can look around Frostpour for more answers,” said Ridik, now sitting across from Link on Neeko’s bed.

Link closed the book and examined the triangle on the cover once more. Three golden triangles, three triangles above the other symbol… That couldn’t just be a coincidence, could it?

“Them symbols’re weird, right?” Ridik said.

Link only nodded. Weird was an understatement, but Ridik wasn’t wrong. So much information was thrust onto Link and he didn’t know what to make of it.

“I hope this’ll help. My father’s a little standoffish, but if you show him that stone, he’ll want to talk to you.” Ridik put his gloved hand on Link’s shoulder. “Good luck.”

Link forced a smile, trying to be nonchalant in shaking Ridik off as he stood with the book and stone under his left arm. Not that he had anything against Ridik in particular. He was discomforted by any sort of direct contact with others. Link shook off that enclosed, vulnerable feeling as he left the room.

When Link stepped out, Neeko was there to pull him aside by his wrist, prompting more discomfort though he was quickly let go. Link had to look down at Neeko, a short man whose buck teeth and upturned nose barely breached Link's stomach. His messy brown hair was tied under a red bandana but still managed to make itself known along his shoulders.

“Hey, bud, got yourself a pretty boss mission,” he said in his high-pitched speech. “Wish I could afford to travel around and go on cool adventures, but hey, let's not say that my generous self didn't offer you any help. I'm going to get in touch with my friend, Phora — she travels the railroads, see, a conductor and a downright good one — and I'll let her know to lend you some free rides. I'd say that's pretty great, don't you think? ‘Course we need to wait until The Connection is finished testing but I can guarantee that you’ll get to be the first official passenger on her train. Yep, a guarantee, isn’t that great? I’m sure it’ll help you, bud.”

Neeko finally walked away, snickering about his kindly deed. He sure liked to hear himself talk. Phora… That name didn't ring any bells. Then again, Link wasn't particularly familiar with the railroads. Most people of Old Hyrule weren't. Two very different worlds — Old Hyrule on the sea and New Hyrule of the land — needed two very different brands of technological advancement. But with the rising sea levels, New Hyrule's royals wanted to bridge the gap, both metaphorically and tangibly. The monarchy was doing so with their advanced railway systems, ala The Connection. That was the extent of Link's knowledge. But he would be on the lookout for any ‘Phora’s, he’d made a mental note of that.

As if queued up to talk Link’s pointed ears off, Alfonse approached him. He was almost Neeko’s polar opposite — large and muscular, towering over Link and needing to duck under the thresholds around the submarine. As such, he was a man who took charge. With more common sense, Alfonse would easily be able to be captain himself, but he had to settle on vice-captain of their ship. His tanned, aging skin reminded Link that he was no stranger to long days under the sun. For some reason, perhaps because of Alfonse’s scars and evidence of battle, Link always envisioned challenging him to a duel one day, if for nothing else than pride.

“Link, mind if we talk a minute in private?” Alfonse asked.

Curiosity piqued, Link silently agreed with a nod of his head. He followed Alfonse to his vice captain’s quarters which were nearer the front of the vessel and on the upper deck. They climbed the ladder through the hatch at the bow of the lower deck and Alfonse’s room was two doors to their right at the top. It was closed with an actual door, vault lock only able to turn after Alfonse put his thumb up to a fingerprint sensor on the wall. Link suspected it was probably soundproof, as was Linebeck’s door across the way, but he’d never been in Alfonse’s room before.

The vice-captain let him inside and then shut the door behind them. The room was lined with hardwood and was well furnished much like Linebeck’s room. But rather than being lined with treasure, Alfonse’s was lined with pictures of him, a woman, and a little boy, from baby to pre-teen with the former outnumbering the latter. Link’s eyebrows raised as he looked around at all of the photos. Many of them were of Alfonse with the woman while she was thin, then with a slightly bigger belly, then heavily pregnant, and a few were of a classic Hylian-style wedding before the pregnancy, complete with them breaking a wine bottle together. They looked so exuberant and bright in most every picture.

“Yes, my wife and son,” Alfonse muttered, a light pink tinge across his cheeks in the dim light. He cleared his throat. “But let’s not get caught up in the sentimentality. I brought you here for a request.”  
Link listened, though continued to look through the pictures.  
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Linebeck. He’s a great man, but I don’t need to tell you that. I say this because I believe I can trust you. We owe one another nothing, but…” Alfonse dug through his dresser, the top leftmost drawer. Inside of a small box, he pulled out the thin jewelry chain of a necklace, the pendant of which was quite large. One side was a smooth, fine silver, but as he brought it over, the other side showed etchings briefly. “My niece once told me to give this to the silent man who’s been to the underwater forest. I never understood what she meant until, well… I obviously believe that man is you, Link. I don’t get it at all, but I trust my niece. She told me the man will know what to do when the time comes.”

Link didn’t understand it, either, but he took the necklace and turned the medallion over to get a closer look. It caught his eye instantly, that same golden triangle made up of three separate ones. Over that were wings, tips of the top feathers pointing above with an arrowhead shape between them. Below the triangle was what seemed to be a pair of stylized talons, minimalistic and rather undetailed. Why had the triangular shape shown up to him twice that day?

“I’ll be here to help in any way I can,” said Alfonse. “You’re dismissed for now. Get some sleep.”

Alfonse opened the door and let Link out. Get some sleep. No one needed to tell Link twice. He headed to the bunkers again where Neeko and Ridik were chatting about the round stone. Link went to his corner of the room and slid closed the curtains, blocking out some of the light. It would be lights-out in a few hours, but Link wasn’t waiting around for that. He stripped some of his clothes, folding and putting them at the foot of his small bed with the round stop atop them, then slid under his sheet with “Old Hyrule: Our History”. He flipped the book open and read through its table of contents.

_**Contents** _

* * *

 

Acknowledgments                                            4

Preface                                                            6

A Hero's Downfall                                             9  
_The legend_                                                      11  
_The fight and its outcome_                                20  
_The significance_                                            29

Hyrule Underwater                                          35  
_Hundreds of years later_                                    42  
_A rematch for the ages_                                     55

The Great Flood                                              62  
_... and how it relates to the rising water levels_  68  
_Our world as we know it_                                  75  
_Legend: Myth or truth?_                                    95  
  
What Science Says                                           105  
_Solutions to the rising sea_                               125

Our Crew                                                        143

Epilogue & Citations                                      165

Index                                                            187

  
At nearly 200 pages, no wonder it was so hefty. There was a lot to read through. Felt like a chore to Link, maybe he’d read a bit about it some other time. Or just wait until he finally met Vakti. He closed the book, put it atop his night stand, then pulled the covers over his head to fall asleep.

_~Hey buddy, if you like this story, please consider pressing the Kudos button! And if you love this story, let me know in the comments! I really appreciate the support, thank you!~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was kinda difficult to get the text in the Table of Contents to format properly, so I hope this is acceptable.


	3. (3)

Red lights flashed, sirens blared, and the submarine rocked violently. While Neeko and Ridik filled the munitions, Linebeck and Hinan were in the control room trying to keep the submarine afloat. Hinan took aim with one of the cannons and fired at the attacking beast. Inside of the recon hull, Alfonse and Link were hurriedly putting on their gear. They armed themselves with their swords and specialized flippers.

“That thing must be attracted to the submarine’s light,” Alfonse said as he laced up his footwear. “They never come this far down.”

Link slipped on his Clear Coat and attached his oxygen tank. They headed into the decompression chamber before all their gear was fully on. However, once Alfonse had hooked up his oxygen, and the submarine gave one more jerk as echoes of explosions rang in the ocean depths, Link input the code and began the decompression sequence. Water, splashing and loud, filled the darkened hull. Link pushed through his instinct to close his eyes, examining his sword instead as the Clear Coat crept up his arm and suctioned onto the weapon. He’d never fought underwater before.

“All right, Link,” said Alfonse through their synced headsets, sitting stiffly, “these boots have limited power, but if you push them together, the magnetic force will activate their jets. It’ll really send you flying, so be careful. Let me go first and follow my lead. You’ll be okay, I promise.”

Link wasn’t worried that he wouldn’t be okay. After all, what was adventure without a little danger? The chamber filled completely, the light blinked, and the warriors sheathed their swords. Alfonse swam for the door, opening it just as another explosion rang and a low roar reached their ears. Alfonse used his flippers to jettison out. Link tried to follow behind, but the hull of the submarine was hit hard. The vessel flipped through the ocean, sending Link’s vision and mind into a disorienting blur. He could hear the screams of the control room in his headset, mostly Hinan who made a point to remind everyone that she hadn’t signed up for such a dangerous mission. Link held tight to the threshold, letting his body spin with the submarine until it slowed.

When it was slow enough, Link swam out, placing his flippers together. The jets in his heels flung him forward at immense speed — too close, way too close! If he moved his flippers farther apart, however… The jolting stop sent him toppling through the water, head over feet over head again, spinning once more and making his stomach feel sick. Touchy flippers. He panted, watching his oxygen meter plummeting fast. When he turned around to join the fight, he saw a dark mass fly straight into him, throwing them both to the dead coral below.

“Sorry about that,” grunted Alfonse through clenched teeth, removing himself from Link with far more precise and seasoned usage of his flippers.

Link observed him. Slide the flippers up and down for better control? He straightened himself, then placed one flipper above his ankle and shifted it down until they started up. Alfonse left him quickly in the dust (err, bubbles), but Link was getting the hang of it.

When he looked up to see their opponent, he saw a massive, serpentine-like body, with what looked similar to seaweed hanging off of its back and face. Its maw opened wide, yellowed tusks showing. The same low roar sounded even through Link’s bucket helmet, loud and angry — its upturned nose twitched when it pulled its lips farther back. Alfonse flew toward the beast, a sword in each hand and ready for to fight. He crossed his blades in front of him until the two swords hit the serpent’s flat nose. He slashed downward, creating an X in the water. The force of his swords appeared to cut the sea in their trajectory, miniature whirlpools forming and flying off. But the beast was unharmed. It neither flinched nor moved.

“How—?!” was all Alfonse got to say before the serpent’s tail hit him across the chest, sending him to the ocean floor.

Link rushed the creature with sword unsheathed. His attack would be nothing compared to Alfonse’s, but he wasn’t going to let that get in the way of defending himself and his crew.

“It didn’t do a thing…” Hinan’s voice said through his headset, sounding more distressed with every syllable. “How did Alfonse’s attack not do anything!?”  
“Hinan, calm down!” said Linebeck.

Link’s blade crossed the creature’s plump cheek, yet did nothing more than jiggle the mound of fat. The beast breathed in and shot a pillar of water at Link, hitting his defending forearms. It was hot through his Clear Coat, burning at his skin as it sent him careening to the coral below. Then the creature turned its attention back to the submarine. It swam so fast — far faster than Link could’ve imagined, carving the sea like a bullet. When its giant head connected with the submarine, Link heard Hinan scream and Linebeck strain to keep the ship from crashing into the ocean floor.

Alfonse grabbed Link’s wrist and lifted him roughly upright. “We gotta keep that thing away from the sub!”

Then the Vice Captain was off, after the beast once again. Link kept up with the rush of adrenaline in his veins. The serpent was huge and its rough skin impenetrable. What did it want with the submarine? Why would it have come so far down past its natural habitat? Not even Alfonse’s strongest moves could take it down. He spun like a whirlwind of blades using his flippers, but none of the hits left a scratch. They did, however, get the creature’s attention. Distracted by Alfonse, Link drove his sword through one of the thin fins of the creature. As it swam, it tore the membrane, but it had no reaction and continued its assault on Alfonse. Alfonse blocked the beast’s tusks, trying to hold it back as it drove him down to the ocean floor.

“Neeko, Ridik!” Linebeck called to the intercom. “Use it!”  
Neeko’s voice came through the static of the communication system. “Aye, aye, Cap’n!”  
“Out of the way, Link!” Alfonse said.

Link had no idea what ‘it’ was, but given Alfonse was jettisoning himself as far from the beast as possible, it couldn’t be good. The under-light of the submarine switching to the front of the vessel and was aimed into the beast’s eyes. That was all Link saw before he turned away. He moved his heels together and flew, feeling the blast on his back though it was overshadowed by the burning tenderness of his arms. As he whipped around, he saw the chaos of the bubbles and the dirty water caused by the cannonball’s explosion. However, as the water calmed and the sediment dissipated, the serpent still lived. Its glowing yellow eyes pierced the darkness.

Alfonse's mouth was agape. “It… didn't work…”

The serpent hadn't been concerned with the immense explosion. It swam through the bubbles left behind, roaring as it approached the submarine once again. Just as it seemed hopeless, as it seemed like nothing could scratch the monster, a bright blue light engulfed it, halting its movement. Its eyes widened and it let out one final screech. Then the light turned white, blinding Link. He shielded his eyes with his forearm and when he looked back, it was gone. He tried to find the source of the powers that bested the invincible monster but he could see nothing.

“What _was_ that?” Hinan's distant voice seemed so loud in the silence that followed.

  
***

Back on the submarine, when all was said and done and Neeko had patched everyone up, the crew sat around the white, sterile room of the medical bay, talking about what had happened.

“That thing didn’t even fall to Ridik’s special cannonball,” said Alfonse, laying down to accommodate his broken rib.  
Linebeck breathed in deep. He muttered, “there goes all those rupees, straight down the toilet… Color me glad that everything else is firmly held down.”  
Ridik frowned, a hand on the quiet Hinan’s shoulder as they sat in the corner. He said to the group, “I’ll need to make the next series better. What good am I if I can’t defend our ship?”  
“Ridik, don’t say that,” said Alfonse. “Without you, we would’ve died twenty times over just trying to get down here.”

Link sat on his gurney, fiddling with the hanging, wet bandages on his forearms. They were cold on his burns and drenched in some sort of medicine, to be removed in about an hour. After, he was instructed to put on his burn cream every 2-4 hours until he was healed. But he wasn’t thinking much about that; only about how useless he’d felt in that fight. He didn’t realize he was so weak, but this experience…

Alfonse continued, “if anyone should feel weak, it should be me. I can’t believe my attacks didn’t do anything.”  
“But Vice-Cap’n—”  
“No, Neeko. I don’t need you to deny that I was weak. That beast broke my ribs and nearly my leg. But I won’t let that happen again. I’ll be making good use of my leave…”

Silence. Link didn’t think Alfonse was useless or weak but the resignation in Alfonse’s voice piqued his interest. He didn’t have much time to think on that, however, once his gaze rested on Hinan and Ridik. Hinan’s eyes looked shocking: wide, empty, vacant, with small pupils. Sweat roiled down her forehead in jagged lines, dripping off her brow. Ridik’s gentle touch had no effect on her. Without a word, Ridik led Hinan to her feet and walked her out of the room, everyone’s eyes following. The group waited a while longer before speaking.

Neeko was the first to say. “Wonder what her problem is.”  
“I’m not sure,” said Linebeck. “I’d say it’s shock, but she’s always seemed like a strong person. Couldn’t imagine that would’ve shaken her up so much.”  
“I dunno,” said Alfonse, staring at the white ceiling. “That _thing_ didn’t seem right, did it?”  
“No, it didn’t,” Linebeck agreed.  
Alfonse asked, “did you guys see that light from in here?”  
“What light?” Neeko questioned.  
“Indeed, Hinan and I had. The brightest blue light came from nowhere, then blinded us, and the beast disappeared.”  
Neeko stared at Linebeck, dumbfounded, “ _that’s_ what happened? I’ve been wondering… That’s insane, what could’ve done _that_?”

Link didn’t believe he had more to gain from staying in the medical bay — they’d simply continue asking questions he’d already asked himself. How frustrating. He grabbed his burn cream and left the room, hoping to find Hinan and Ridik. He heard Neeko calling to him, giving him instructions on the cream once again.

Link headed firstly for the sleeping quarters, which was on the same side of the sub but on the middle floor. He took the ladder down. It was the first door on his right and he peeked his head in. Hinan was sitting on her bed with Ridik across the way on Link’s. Her hands were in his, and from where he stood, Link could only see Ridik’s face: concerned, wrinkles on his forehead all the more prevalent behind his dark, thick eyebrows.

“You gotta talk to me, Hinan,” he said softly. “I don’t understand…”  
“I can’t be here anymore,” she said, almost whispering. “I can’t be down here anymore, I just… I need to go home.”  
“This isn’t like you,” Ridik had a slight urgency in his understanding tone. “Tell me what’s happening—”  
Hinan put her hands on the sides of her head and hunched down, groaning through what sounded like clenched teeth.  
Ridik paled a shade. “Hinan! We need to have Neeko look at you—”  
“NO!” she screamed, standing straight up. Her voice echoed through the halls, then she went quiet once again. “Leave me alone. I’m getting off this sub with Link tomorrow. Just… Leave me alone.”

She turned quickly and rushed out of the room, eyes meeting Link’s before she headed to the second ladder and descended to the final floor where the cannons were. It was dark and quiet, the perfect place for respite (which of course he’d know best). Ridik had his tanned face hidden in his hands, hair obscured by the ubiquitous red bandana. Link walked up to him and sat across the way on Hinan’s bed. There wasn’t anything that needed to be said after that. They simply breathed in the quiet of each other’s presence.

***

The next morning had delved into chaos, only because the ascent of a submarine involved way too much flicking of levers and pushing of buttons. Link had been running from the control panel to the sub’s outer rim, trying to sync everything perfectly so their vessel wouldn’t implode from the pressure change. But with 6 fully qualified crew members, they’d gotten it done smoothly and were in the process of breaching the surface. Link looked out of the window of the control panel, watching as the dark ocean lightened and more sea creatures appeared. Schools of fish were all around them, a few sharks here and there, and some Zora, the fish-people of Old and New Hyrule who could breathe both water and air. One of them who saw Link smiled and swam closer to the window, giving him a view of her silvery scales and magenta frills. She blew him a kiss and winked before rejoining her squad.

Link expected some kind of snappy remark from Hinan, but then remembered that she’d been silent all day. He turned around to see who else was in the control room with him — Linebeck and Ridik. Alfonse had to lay down after insisting he was well enough to help ascend and Neeko was tending to him. Link had no idea where Hinan had gone, though, after she was no longer needed. He looked at Ridik who was talking to Linebeck from down the way. He’d been tuning them out so he could watch the sea go by but decided it would be a good time to listen.

“—ever would want to go back to her home anyway?” he caught Linebeck saying. “I thought she hated it there.”  
“It baffles me, too, Captain. But she won’t talk to me at all.”  
“Very strange. Can’t say I wouldn’t have nightmares about that beast, but to think it would’ve shaken her up this much.”  
“I don’t think it was that serpent what did it. There’s something else going on…”

There was a sudden jerk of the submarine as if it’d been caught in a huge wave. Once he was sat upright again, Link’s eyes shot to the window where he saw a huge whale’s body swimming directly in front of the submarine. He cursed his proclivity toward wonderment as his full attention turned to the whale’s amazing form swimming gracefully, a long scar up its side, rocking the sub in its wake but careful enough to not hit it with its fanned tail. No, _her_ fanned tail — she had a calf swimming closely beside her.

***

Link popped up out of the top of the submarine, breathing in the fresh, salty seaside air. He felt an irritated jab at his calf — Hinan was behind him and more ready to get off the ship than he was. Link hurried out for her, jumping down the rest of the way onto the docks, and waved to her as she passed. She ignored him and everyone else telling her goodbye.

The docks of The Peak where they’d stopped were often tended to by the Zora and the Hylians. It was a huge purveyor of goods, especially fruit given its temperate climate, and was quite busy as a result. And with its seaside locations and buildings, tourists from all over gathered there.

“Should be easy to catch a ride, eh, Hero?” Linebeck teased Link.  
Yep.  
Linebeck took a look at the stone Link had found, which was tight under Link’s arm. He said, “I hope you find a better way to keep that safe. You’ve gotta go all the way to Frostpour after all.” He then reached into his teal overcoat and pulled out a piece of paper, rolled up and tied with twine. “Here. This is one of my maps of New Hyrule where I outlined your course. Don’t deviate; you can’t get to Northern Hebra any other way.”

Link opened the paper. His route would take him by boat past Hateno and Kakariko Forest until he reached the docks of New Goron City. Travelers could go right (East) from there to continue North, but that was full of wilderness and one particularly deep gorge, so Linebeck outlined the West side, through New Goron and up to Daruniside. This would take him past Old Goron City and Link figured he might as well stop by to see his old friend again.

Neeko was helping Alfonse out of the ship, stopping briefly to wave goodbye to Link. “See ya, bud! You have a good time! Don’t forget about Phora and your good buddy, Neeko, all right!? We’ll miss you!”  
“Neeko!” Alfonse called from inside the sub, “I can’t hold the ladder, you have to _help me_!”  
“Good luck, Link.” Linebeck said with a smile.

Link returned the smile and waved farewell just as Neeko helped Alfonse out. He was going to miss that colorful crew.

_~Hey buddy, if you like this story, please consider pressing the Kudos button! And if you love this story, let me know in the comments! I really appreciate the support, thank you!~_


	4. (4)

Goron City was way too hot. Always perpetual heat; then again, it sat not far from the mouth of the Eldin Volcano. It was only one of two land volcanoes left in the world, with many more still active under the waves. Given the warmth and the pathway needed to get to his next destination, Akka’lo, the surrounding areas were a tourist trap. Not so much Old Goron City. It was far too hot for normal people to make it to the city and the natives were spared that unwanted bustle. He sat in the tavern, sipping at his soothing Goron Fresh, a drink made by the locals. Only… It had simply been advertised as refreshing and soothing — to Gorons, by Gorons, and by the great Goron _ancestors_ was it anything but. Link stopped drinking the moment it felt like lava from the volcano itself went clear down his throat. He shot up out of his seat and clambered to the Goron barkeep. Link motioned wildly to his open mouth, flailing red tongue, and flushed face. The barkeep looked down at him, a huge and imposing rock beast that Gorons were with a thick back full of spiked rocks that stuck up behind his head and shoulders. With beady eyes, the Goron observed Link’s frantic movements. Panting and losing all semblance of coherency, Link looked around for water. 

When he whipped around, his eyes did a double take on something very odd. A Zora, casually walking into the bar. The bar of Old Goron City, so close to the volcano that, without special gear, anyone who wasn’t a Goron would instantly cook from the sweltering heat. She didn’t seem concerned with what Link thought to be true, however. His lolled tongue and desperate panting seemed to catch her attention. She made a beeline for him and grabbed his cheeks with one webbed hand — roughly, fingertips digging into his skin, claws threatening to puncture. He ripped away from her, then what felt to be a refreshingly cold, mint-flavored waterfall spread along his tongue and in his mouth. The feeling disappeared soon after, leaving no excess liquid behind and reverting his mouth back to its normal state. He somehow didn’t feel thirsty anymore. 

“Gorons don’t get how hot their cuisine is to outsiders,” she said plainly.

Link could only stare at her in utter disbelief. Was that some kind of magic? Magic was dying in Old Hyrule so to come across a magic user so randomly… Plus, her being a Zora was incredible. She wore no special gear that Link could see aside from a pair of clear goggles over her eyes and a briefcase of some kind. She wasn’t bothered by the heat; meanwhile, Link was sweating so much, he wanted to jump into the ocean to rinse off.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” she said suddenly. “You’re Link, you’ve found something invaluable beneath the sea, and you’re trying to get to Hebra.”  
If Link ever spoke, he’d be stricken speechless by that.  
“Shall we?” she asked, motioning to one of the rock benches in the tavern.

They sat across from one another, the stone table between them with ‘salt’ and ‘pepper’ shakers filled with more rocks. Link fiddled with one, index finger at the top, rolling it on its base. How did she know his name and what he’d been doing? Was she stalking him? He’d never seen her before — that Zora who blew him a kiss wasn’t her, he didn’t see any other life inside of that forest, and he was on a tiny submarine where it’s pretty impossible for someone to hide. He looked her over cautiously. As on all Zora, the extension on top of her head was shaped similarly to a sea creature, in her case a dolphin. She had light fins on her forearms, tipped with seafoam green as was much of the rest of her, which lay splayed before them as she put her elbows upon the table. Her shoulders had layered fins, the outside silvery blue like the rest of her scales, and the insides billowed out in purple, black, and more seafoam.

“I’m sure you’re confused,” she said poignantly, readjusting her goggles. “… About a lot of things. And I’d love to sit here and talk about it all day,” obvious sarcasm; “but let me just get to it. I want to help you get to North Hebra. And we’re going to do it in much the same way I got _here_ without potions or gear.”  
Link scrunched his nose, side-eying her.  
“Don’t worry, I get it, you don’t have a clue who I am. But does that really matter? You wanna get to Frostpour, don’t you?”  
Was he dreaming? How in the—  
“You know what Clear Coat is. I have something quite similar.” 

She reached into her briefcase, rustling through papers until she pulled out what she needed. Between her thumb and index fingers, she held… A pill? If she thought Link was going to just swallow some random pill, she had to be an idiot or thought that he was. It was a clear pill, completely see-through, long but small, and menacing given he didn’t know what it did.

“This is another Clear Coat that we’ve been developing for years, after we invented the wearable form. This one, the Clear Pill, works instantly and its insulation form was increased by nearly one hundred times,” she wrapped her fist around that pill to move it into her palm. The small fins on her cheeks flared a bit. “Do you know what that means? Not only can Zora swim far deeper than ever before, but people like you and me can withstand some of the hottest of temperatures, granted you don’t jump straight into Eldin Volcano.” She held the pill out to him. “And you can get up to Frostpour without needing special gear.”

No gear, eh? He’d spent most of his money on the new Firebreaker armor that he’d bought in New Goron City to prep for the trip up the mountain. It was the lean form but was still heavy, made with a rock breastplate and gauntlets, each knuckle and the entire wrist guard lined with more rocks — it had only been a couple of hours and he’d grown tired of all the rocks. Link was ecstatic when one of the customers, to the vender’s dismay, told him that he didn’t need the rock helmet as the rest had enchantments that worked without it. He hesitantly took the pill in his fingers and looked at it. His expression must’ve said it all.

“You don’t trust me, I don’t blame you. Who in their right mind would take a pill given to them by a stranger? But you’re heading up to Turak, aren’t you? He can vouch for me.”

He looked at her, brows raised. She knew Turak, too? The friend he’d come up to see knew people from all over, high and low, so it shouldn’t have been as shocking as it was, but with everything else Link’d heard, he was already on edge; intrigued, confused, and curious, but wary.

“Let’s head to him, then,” she said, closing up her case and standing, revealing another set of wide fins on her hips. “The faster we can get you up to Hebra, the better.”

While Link agreed, what was it to her that he got to Frostpour quickly? Link stood and walked with her out of the tavern. The entirety of the city was carved into the mountain and made up of… Well…

They walked up the path that headed north-east to Eldin Volcano, passing by Gorons as they went. Some of the kids rolled by, quite literally, bounding off of rocks in an apparent race while the adults egged them on. The fun-loving and competitive nature of the Gorons was something Link could always appreciate. He and… Whatever her name was, she never said, took the left fork at the end of the path which would lead them up the mountain, through the hot springs, and to the excavation sites. Turak tended to frequent them, being the Captain and all. 

There was a small stretch where there were no rock outcroppings or cliffs around them to block out the heat. Without the shade to hide them from the midday sun, it was like getting fried on a pan. Link could see the air waving as heat rose off the ground. Beside him, the Zora was doing just fine. She didn’t seem to be sweating and was walking around with no footgear — just bare, clawed toes — looking around boredly at her surroundings. Or maybe she just had a constantly bored expression. 

There was an obvious arch carved into the rocks of the volcano after they passed the hot springs — they were close to the excavation sites. The main building wasn’t far from the arch, just after a small hallway that was once a cavern. At the end, the right side of the wall still stood high, but the ceiling and left side had been taken down, giving passers-by a wide, admittedly terrifying view of the volcano’s maw and lava within. There were Gorons outside of the main building, chatting and wearing their yellow vests (made of rock, imagine that) to indicate they were excavators on duty. The huge Gorons turned to Link and the Zora as they walked up to them. 

“Link!” one of them, Yudo, said with a smile which caused his small black eyes to shrink more. “It’s been ages, how’ve you been, brother?”  
Link smiled and a put up his hand casually as greeting.  
“That’s good, brother, that’s real good. You n’ your girlfriend here to see Turak?”  
“Yes, yes,” said the Zora impatiently, “where is he?”  
“He’s still down in the volcano. We haven’t heard from him for hours. We’re not supposed to worry, but I can’t help it.”  
“Same here,” said the second Goron. “It seemed like a simple operation for more materials to finish the Connection, but…”

The ground rumbled gently.

Yudo, “can you guys feel that in Old Goron?”  
Link shook his head. Everything was quiet when he’d been there.  
After chewing his lip, the second Goron headed to the city, “I’m gonna go talk to the Chieftain. You try to get ‘hold of Turak.”

Yudo opened the metal doors of the building, allowing Link and the Zora inside. He walked to their radio with his rather spindly legs, picking up the handheld transceiver and fiddling with some of the knobs.

He spoke, “Turak, this is Lieutenant Yudo of Division Two, do you copy?”   
No response.  
“Turak, this is Division Two, can you hear me? Please respond.”  
Not even static called from the other side. There was simply nothing.  
The Zora pulled her lips back, “hmm… His communication device should’ve been given a Clear Coat; I don’t see why he isn’t responding.”

Link agreed that it was very strange. Turak was a sociable guy who’d been fairly talkative during their missions several years ago. They’d never had a problem with him going silent then.

Yudo sighed and turned from the radio. “It’s been like this almost all afternoon. Just cut off from us n’ never returned our calls afterward.”  
“Did something happen?” the Zora asked.  
Yudo shrugged. “Dunno. Everything seemed okay. Division One went down the same tunnel ‘bout half hour ago, though. Lemme try n’ call up them.”

He did so. There was another rumble across the ground, this one harder.

“Division One, are you there?”

The ground shook violently causing them to lose their footing. Link dropped to his knee for balance, catching the Zora as she fell into him, and Yudo held onto the table, his large fingers accidentally cracking the stone. Voices came from the radio, static worse than it had been on Linebeck’s submarine.

“—‘lo?—” static crackled viciously, “haven’t— …a sign’l— …‘rying to contact—!”  
Yudo hit the radio, but it didn’t make the transmission any clearer. They could hear screams and shouts in the background.  
“—earthquakes— …not— volcano! They’re— …strange cr—!”  
“The earthquakes aren’t caused by the volcano?” the Zora asked, kneeling beside Link.

That’s what it had sounded like, but the signal was so fuzzy and the yelling so loud that he could barely understand the speaker. Another quake shook the earth and Link tried to keep steady in his low position.

Yudo called, “we can barely hear you, Division Two!”  
“—need t’— …‘f Turak— …all Gorons to— …‘cuate the city— …beast—!”

The following earthquake was strong enough that Yudo finally fell to the ground, dropping the transceiver. From the open door, they could see the lava spout up from the basin. He shot up and rushed outside, staring up as the lava trickled off of a huge, black insect. It shook its massive segmented head and a Goron flew off, landing in the lava pit below. He breached the surface, white rock beard outlining his head like a mane.

“Turak!” the Zora called.  
His widened, black eyes met them. “Navalu!? Link!? _Look out!!_ ”

Navalu? It was the confirmation Link had been waiting for. He turned to the monster, its single eye upon them, exoskeleton dripping with lava. One hit would sear his flesh right through the armor. Link pulled the pill out of his right pocket. The beast lunged, sharp mandibles out as Link’s other hand reached for his sword. He and the insect collided, steel upon what sounded like steel as his counterattack halted the opponent. It had two pincers coming at him on both sides. He could shield his right side, but the left was wide open. What could he do? He was trapped by its powerful jaws. Its pincer flew at him, the impact imminent. Link braced himself.

 

_~Hey buddy, if you like this story, please consider pressing the Kudos button! And if you love this story, let me know in the comments! I really appreciate the support, thank you!~_

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my literature, [please consider supporting me on Patreon for only $1 a month!](https://www.patreon.com/cicisama) Get access to my exclusive Discord server where you have access to WIPs and can socialize and network.


End file.
